Irish Rep Begins Season with O'Neill's The Hairy Ape

The Irish Repertory Theatre (132 West 22nd Street) will begin its 19th season with a  production of Eugene O'Neill's 1922 classic The Hairy Ape.  Directed by Ciarán O'Reilly (Philadelphia, Here I Come!), the play will begin previews on September 29th for an October 5th opening; it will run through November 19th.

"This journey of a dark-souled, brutish ship laborer known as Yank is a riveting story of a common man's search for belonging in a world controlled by the rich and powerful.  As head coal stoker on an ocean liner, Yank is in his element: he rules his dark smoky world- he powers the ship- he belongs.  But when the beautiful, pale, spoiled daughter of the ship's owner visits the engine room for a thrill, she is at once repulsed and terrified by Yank and what she sees there.  Half in love with the unattainable and half blinded by rage, the bewildered Yank blunders violently through Manhattan seeking at once revenge and a place in a society which refuses him," state Irish Rep notes.

Eugene O'Neill, one of the greatest American playwrights, a restless and bold experimenter, won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1936. Among O'Neill's best-known plays are Anna Christie, Desire Under the Elms, Mourning Becomes Electra, Long Day's Journey Into Night and The Iceman Cometh.

The cast includes Kerry Bishé, Jason Denuszek, Gregory Derelian, Jerry Finnegan, Delphi Harrington, David Lansbury, Jon Levenson, Allen McCullough, Michael Mellamphy, and Kevin O'Donnell.

Set design is by Eugene Lee, with costume design by Linda Fisher, lighting design by Brian Nason, and sound design by Zachary Williamson and Gabe Wood.

Performances are Wednesday – Saturday at 8 PM.  Matinees are Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 3 PM. Tickets are $55 and $50 and can be purchased by calling The Irish Repertory Theatre Box Office at (212) 727-2737.  For more information, call (212) 727-2737 or visit www.irishrep.org.